It has become commonplace to house telecommunications equipment at locations remote from any central office or facility Such remotely located electronic equipment is placed so that messages can be sent directly from one nearby user to another without the need for routing through a central office.
The structures heretofore available to house such equipment have often paralleled conventional buildings. Since the telecommunications equipment is often contained in equipment bays that have a 23" width and a 7' height it has been common to reduce the visible height of the structures by burying the lower ends thereof in the ground. Either a concrete or steel lower section resembling a basement is conventionally used, and supports an upper structure, usually also formed of steel or concrete.
The structures in addition to housing the electronic telecommunications equipment may contain air conditioning equipment, smoke detectors, sump pumps, intrusion alarms, and standard electrical power connections.